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(mistakenly posted over in the Rifts threads when it really should be here)
Okay, Imaginary Economy question time....

What's the boards' feeling should be the average price of psylite crystals per carat?
Given that we know one millionth of most quartz crystals is usable psylite, an average crystal cell costs 4,000 credits(no indication of how much psylite is actually used in a cell), and on Rifts Earth, quartz crystals range from 60-300 credits a carat(If you wish, adjust for the Three Galaxies exchange rate of 10 Earth credits to 1 3G credit)

Like so many things in Phase World/Three Galaxies we just don't have enough information to make a reasonable judgement.

For factors driving up the cost of the raw crystals we have, at least, two considerations:
1 - is the rarity you already mentioned
2 - Only psychics can detect them. This will limit the labor pool, eliminate automation entirely, and drive up the cost.

When you look at limiting factors you there really is only one:
1 - The 4,000 cr cost of the ISP power pack. Whatever the cost of a raw crystal it cannot exceed the cost of the finished pack. Realistically the most the crystals used in the power pack could cost is between 1,500 and 2,500 for all of the crystals and still have enough for transportation, refining, and manufacturing and of course a profit margin.

Now that you know this the process is pretty straightforward:
1 - Determine how much ISP a single crystal can hold. I would start with refined and then say that raw crystals can hold a lesser amount.
2 - Take that ISP number and divide it by the ISP in the power cell. This is your number of crystals so divide that by say 2,000 and that is your cost per crystal.

It is a little complicated but it will get you realistic number in universe. You can't say that they are 2,000 a crystal and then say you need 10 crystals for a 4,000 cr device.

Just my thoughts.

Warshield73 wrote:Like so many things in Phase World/Three Galaxies we just don't have enough information to make a reasonable judgement.

For factors driving up the cost of the raw crystals we have, at least, two considerations:
1 - is the rarity you already mentioned
2 - Only psychics can detect them. This will limit the labor pool, eliminate automation entirely, and drive up the cost.

When you look at limiting factors you there really is only one:
1 - The 4,000 cr cost of the ISP power pack. Whatever the cost of a raw crystal it cannot exceed the cost of the finished pack. Realistically the most the crystals used in the power pack could cost is between 1,500 and 2,500 for all of the crystals and still have enough for transportation, refining, and manufacturing and of course a profit margin.

Now that you know this the process is pretty straightforward:
1 - Determine how much ISP a single crystal can hold. I would start with refined and then say that raw crystals can hold a lesser amount.
2 - Take that ISP number and divide it by the ISP in the power cell. This is your number of crystals so divide that by say 2,000 and that is your cost per crystal.

It is a little complicated but it will get you realistic number in universe. You can't say that they are 2,000 a crystal and then say you need 10 crystals for a 4,000 cr device.

Just my thoughts.

16,000 car per carat on Rifts Earth or 1600 3G credits

Mlp7029 wrote:

Warshield73 wrote:Like so many things in Phase World/Three Galaxies we just don't have enough information to make a reasonable judgement.

For factors driving up the cost of the raw crystals we have, at least, two considerations:
1 - is the rarity you already mentioned
2 - Only psychics can detect them. This will limit the labor pool, eliminate automation entirely, and drive up the cost.

When you look at limiting factors you there really is only one:
1 - The 4,000 cr cost of the ISP power pack. Whatever the cost of a raw crystal it cannot exceed the cost of the finished pack. Realistically the most the crystals used in the power pack could cost is between 1,500 and 2,500 for all of the crystals and still have enough for transportation, refining, and manufacturing and of course a profit margin.

Now that you know this the process is pretty straightforward:
1 - Determine how much ISP a single crystal can hold. I would start with refined and then say that raw crystals can hold a lesser amount.
2 - Take that ISP number and divide it by the ISP in the power cell. This is your number of crystals so divide that by say 2,000 and that is your cost per crystal.

It is a little complicated but it will get you realistic number in universe. You can't say that they are 2,000 a crystal and then say you need 10 crystals for a 4,000 cr device.

Just my thoughts.

16,000 car per carat on Rifts Earth or 1600 3G credits

Did you find this somewhere or just come up with it.

Warshield73 wrote:For factors driving up the cost of the raw crystals we have, at least, two considerations:
1 - is the rarity you already mentioned
2 - Only psychics can detect them. This will limit the labor pool, eliminate automation entirely, and drive up the cost.

3 - is this a "only interested in the psylite and discard everything else" operation or is it part of a larger operation. A business that is mining regular quartz will have reduced costs to pass onto the psylite since they can share costs and thus make it cheaper since there won't be as much "waste".

#2 may not be the limiting factor since:
- this ability will vary from race to race. Some races have random levels (like humans), others are more fixed but universal they all have them either at a specific level or some varying level of power (ex. Shadyor Intel or Noro) or can't have them at all (Quick-Flex Alien or Obsedai). So depending on the race(s) involved and location it could be a factor or it might not be.
- there are pure tech sensors in existence that can detect psionics, they might also work for psylite. The CS (WB12 pg 155). The RoJ (WB8 pg116) has the SNARLs sensor which can also detect the SN. There might be other examples I'm not thinking of either. So there might be tech solutions that could be adapted to the role.
- you might be able to train animals (dogs for example on Rifts Earth) to sniff it out since they offer a pool of psychics to draw from which could allow you to maximize the sapient psychics you do have
- there is also technology that could instill psionic powers (M.O.M and similar implants like WB12/SB3, Gene-Tech/Splicers can also activate powers)

Mip7029 wrote:16,000 car per carat on Rifts Earth or 1600 3G credits

The cost of a Emerald (green) from the TW Gem table? I know it (and the slightly cheaper but more potent Diamond) can store PPE (10 for emerald, 20 for diamaond), and PPE converts at 1PPE = 2ISP.

Are you using some type of ratio of Emeralds (or diamonds) to a specific Quartz to get this value?

Mip7029 wrote:16,000 car per carat on Rifts Earth or 1600 3G credits

The cost of a Emerald (green) from the TW Gem table? I know it (and the slightly cheaper but more potent Diamond) can store PPE (10 for emerald, 20 for diamaond), and PPE converts at 1PPE = 2ISP.

Are you using some type of ratio of Emeralds (or diamonds) to a specific Quartz to get this value?[/quote]
No I just set the price similar to the other gems that store PPE.